Lee Hale

Reporter

Lee Hale began listening to KUER while he was teaching English at a Middle School in West Jordan (his one hour commute made for plenty of listening time). Inspired by what he heard he applied for the Kroc Fellowship at NPR headquarters in DC and to his surprise, he got it. Since then he has reported on topics ranging from TSA PreCheck to micro apartments in overcrowded cities to the various ways zoo animals stay cool in the summer heat. But, his primary focus has always been education and he returns to Utah to cover the same schools he was teaching in not long ago. Lee is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is also fascinated with the way religion intersects with the culture and communities of the Beehive State. He hopes to tell stories that accurately reflect the beliefs that Utahns hold dear.

Ways to Connect

It was a year of big — big fires, big ballot initiatives and big political upsets — that collectively defined Utah in 2018 as the state continued its growth spurt. The Beehive State added another 50,000 people this year, owing both to the state’s healthy economy and low unemployment. But Utah also weathered more troublesome headlines, whether through the rushed creation of a controversial Inland Port in northwest Salt Lake City or the publication of sexual abuse allegations implicating leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic Church.

KUER reporters picked out some of the top stories of this year and explain why they mattered.

On a typical Wednesday night at South Mountain Community Church in Draper, about 60 teenagers are gathered for youth group. There’s loud music playing over the speakers, lots of chatter and a very competitive foosball game in the corner of the room.

Updated 4:45 p.m. MST 11/9/18 Utah voters have approved a ballot initiative on medical marijuana, following a trend nationwide to relax laws targeting the drug, which is still illegal under federal statute.

Mormon pageants — big theatrical dramatizations of church history and scripture stories — have been part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for nearly 100 years. But a recent announcement from Church leaders said their days are numbered.

Michele Jones likes to believe she's pretty good at spotting students who are struggling.

The 41-year-old math teacher at Cyprus High School in Magna is quick to notice when homework gets sloppy or a student misses class. But with Dustin Drage, a quiet freshman with a penchant for art, drawing and doodling, there weren't the typical red flags.

For most of his life Don Holm was a faithful member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — a polygamist group often referred to as FLDS. Then, in 2004, Warren Jeffs — the group’s prophet — deemed Holm unworthy of his family and the home that he had built. He kicked Holm out.

Much of this weekend’s bi-annual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was business as usual. There were earnest sermons from top church leaders, interludes from the (newly renamed) Tabernacle Choir, polite jokes without outsized laughter, etc. But, the twists and turns included the confirmation of a rumor that has persisted in Mormon circles for years.

For the past few years, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have speculated, “Is this the General Conference when they’ll finally announce 2-hour church?” If you’re not Mormon, that most likely doesn’t mean anything. If you are Mormon, it’s a very big deal. And now, it’s becoming a reality.

Sharlee Mullins Glenn, a founder of the group Mormon Women for Ethical Government, believes it is both a matter of faith and principle that the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are taken seriously.

For many practicing Mormons, the topic of LGBT inclusion can be a tricky one that's often tiptoed around. But in a speech to students last month, Brigham Young University religion professor Eric Huntsman dove headfirst into the issue.

The newest president of Utah Valley University, the state's largest university, began her tenure this week. Before this, Astrid C. Tuminez was a regional director for Microsoft in Southeast Asia, supervising 15 markets in 10 countries.

Readers of The Salt Lake Tribune may have noticed something missing over the weekend - an article from popular columnist Robert Kirby, who was suspended from the paper because of inappropriate behavior.

The head of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has released a public report that details sexual abuse allegations involving Utah priests and nearly three dozen victims since 1990.

Like many Catholic Church leaders, Bishop Oscar Solis has publicly voiced his disgust following last month’s grand jury report in Pennsylvania that documented abuse at the hands of 300 priests. But in the release of his report this week, Solis took it a step further by detailing sexual abuse within Utah’s Catholic Church over the past 28 years.

Sam Young, a former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Sunday told a crowd of supporters in downtown Salt Lake City that he has been excommunicated after his sustained campaign of protesting church policy on how Mormon leaders conduct private interviews with youth.